An honest update on your books (and a favor to ask)
Hey everyone,
The books are here — and I have to be straight with you, because that's how we do things around here.
This shipment took a beating in transit. A lot more damage than we've ever seen come through, and it hit the Fine Art edition the hardest. After going through the boxes, here's where we landed: we're going to be 13 books short of fulfilling every Fine Art order.
I hate typing that sentence. You backed this project and you deserve a perfect book in your hands. So here's how we're going to make it right, and it starts with asking 13 of you to raise your hand.
If you ordered the Fine Art edition, we're looking for 13 volunteers to do one of two things:
Take a slightly damaged copy — think dinged corners or minor cosmetic wear. Still a beautiful book, just not flawless.
Switch to the Nexus cover signed edition instead.
And because you'd be doing us a real solid, anyone who volunteers gets their pick of a thank-you:
A mystery bag from the studio, or
The 2025 Fine Art edition.
Every damaged book that comes out of this is going to a good home too — we're donating them to Comic Books for Troops, who'll get them into the right hands. So nothing goes to waste.
Want to be one of the 13? Just reply to this email and let me know which option you'd take (damaged copy or Nexus cover) and which thank-you you'd like. First 13 to reply, we lock it in.
Thank you for rolling with us on this. Building things together — the good shipments and the rough ones — is the whole point of this community.
See a lot of you Saturday on the livestream (1:30pm Arizona time, YouTube), and if you ever want to support the studio directly, the Patreon's always there: patreon.com/steverude
2026 Sketchbook Update and Exclusive International Free Shipping Offer
SHIPPING SOON
The printer has confirmed the books will ship next week from Canada. The hardcovers will ship first and the bookplates for the other 2 editions are already signed and we have staff standing by to bag, board, and get these out the door!
Because we do everything in house we can give you special offers like free combined international shipping!
Patreon members get to mix and match from all the sale items! Not a member? Join today: free 7 day trial with immediate access: www.patreon.com/steverude
Crew Update: Sketchbook timeline, your first keychain look + something EPIC brewing
Hey Crew,
Quick one, a few good things packed in.
THE KEYCHAIN IS REAL
If you grabbed the keychain prelaunch reservation for the 2026 Sketchbook — here's your first look at the prototype. The finals are at the maker now and we are not-so-patiently refreshing our inbox waiting on them. Looks even better in person than we hoped.
PRINTER TIMELINE
Our Canadian printer is estimating books ship around July 8th. If a press spot opens up sooner, they'll bump us up — so think of that as a "no later than," not a "wait until." Your digital download is already in your hands to dig into while the physical copies make their way to you. Thanks for rolling with us — it means a lot.
About the cover (and a little gift). The final book now carries the Nexus cover instead of the "Sherlock Dave" piece — a call Steve made for the finished book. We didn't want that Dave art to disappear, so every softcover backer is getting a free print of the "Sherlock Dave" cover, on us. If your book was signed, your print will be too. Two pieces of art instead of one.
NOW THE EPIC PART
We're officially in prelaunch for the Nexus Encyclopedia — and Crew, this one's special. 45 years of Nexus in one place: history, articles, interviews, deep cuts, all in a massive 9x12 hardcover. The book longtime fans have been waiting decades for. Reservations are open now through the September launch.
HERE'S WHERE YOU COME IN
We want the $5 reservation reward to be as cool as that keychain. Right now we're leaning toward an official Nexus 45th Anniversary enamel pin — built around the new anniversary logo, a true one-time collectible. But this is your studio too. Pin? Patch? Something else? Drop a comment and tell us what you'd actually want to own.
That's the news. Want to hang out and watch Steve work? We go LIVE every Saturday at 1:30 PM Arizona time on YouTube → youtube.com/steverudethedude. And the Crew that keeps this whole studio running lives on Patreon → patreon.com/steverude. Come pull up a chair.
Crew Update: The Book's Headed to the Presses (+ a cover surprise)
Hey Crew,
BIG NEWS
The 2026 Sketchbook is officially at the printer. We're sending back our final edits today, which means we should be able to give the green light on Monday and get those presses rolling. After all the Saturday mornings that went into this thing, it feels really good to say that out loud.
Couple of fun changes to tell you about. You know Steve — when something isn't up to par, it gets fixed. He took another look at the Dave cover and decided to swap it out for an absolutely killer Nexus cover instead. We think you're going to love it. We're also switching out the notebook for the same Nexus image.
Here's how the timeline shakes out:
Digital downloads should be ready for you this weekend — so you'll have something in hand right away.
Physical shipping kicks off end of June or early July, depending on exactly when the books land in-house from Canada.
In the meantime, we're already in full assembly mode over here — building boxes and pulling together all the goodies and extras that go in with your order. It's starting to look like a proper operation around the studio.
And hey — Steve's back on the livestream today at 1:30 PM Pacific / 4:30 PM Eastern. Come hang out, watch him draw, and ask whatever's on your mind. These Saturdays are the best part of our week. → https://www.youtube.com/steverudethedude
One quick favor: we're still waiting on a few exit surveys before we can lock everything in. If you're one of the 23 BackerKit backers or 6 Kickstarter backers who haven't finished checkout yet, hop in and knock it out so nothing holds up your shipment. Log into your Backerkit account, click on your icon and go to your Pledges and Surveys.
Thanks for hanging in there with us — this is the fun part now.
The 2026 Sketchbook ended up at 160 pages! It's back from the Editor and (pending Steve's approval) is headed to the printer on Monday. That gives us a June shipping date.
FINAL EXIT SURVEY - TEST SENT
The test for the exit survey was sent yesterday and we did note an error. Once Backerkit helps us fix that we'll send it out to everyone.
NEXUS THUNEWORLD LAUNCHES AT 10 AM PACIFIC / 1 PM EASTERN
SPECIAL DEAL FOR BACKERKIT - USE THE HIDDEN LINKS BELOW TO:
Access the deals without extra charges to back the campaign
FREE worldwide shipping on this portion of your order
We will ship with your 2026 sketchbook
FIRST WEEKEND: FREE EARLYBIRD GIFT PACK
Back during opening weekend with any Gallery Unsigned, Gallery Signed, or Studio Edition book and the Earlybird Gift Pack is on us. Free with the book.
What's inside:
11x14 Nexus Family Print, unsigned (upgrade to signed for $10 after the campaign)
Nexus logo sticker
Trading card set of 9 cards
Double-sided bookmark
FCBD SPECIAL: AVAILABLE APRIL 30 TO MAY 3
This one's a separate add-on, but it's a beauty. For $25, you get one random preview book plus the complete digital set of all 5 preview books. That's a $99 value.
The preview books are something special. They show pencils, inks, and the full script. The full script is NOT included in the Gallery or Studio Edition Hardcovers. If you want to see how Steve built Battle for Thuneworld from the page up, this is the deepest dive you'll get.
Each preview book is
36 to 52 pages
8.5" x 11"
Saddle stitched
Professionally printed on high-quality stock
Random book ships unsigned (upgrade to signed for $10 after the campaign)
We’ve been calling this project the Nexus Compendium, but a lot of folks thought that meant another Omnibus. What we’re really making is a deep, behind-the-scenes reference book about Nexus history, so we’re testing a clearer name. Which name best captures what this project is?
The books are here — and I have to be straight with you, because that's how we do things around here.
This shipment took a beating in transit. A lot more damage than we've ever seen come through, and it hit the Fine Art edition the hardest. After going through the boxes, here's where we landed: we're going to be 13 books short of fulfilling every Fine Art order.
I hate typing that sentence. You backed this project and you deserve a perfect book in your hands. So here's how we're going to make it right, and it starts with asking 13 of you to raise your hand.
If you ordered the Fine Art edition, we're looking for 13 volunteers to do one of two things:
Take a slightly damaged copy — think dinged corners or minor cosmetic wear. Still a beautiful book, just not flawless.
Switch to the Nexus cover signed edition instead.
And because you'd be doing us a real solid, anyone who volunteers gets their pick of a thank-you:
A mystery bag from the studio, or
The 2025 Fine Art edition.
Every damaged book that comes out of this is going to a good home too — we're donating them to Comic Books for Troops, who'll get them into the right hands. So nothing goes to waste.
Want to be one of the 13? Just reply to this email and let me know which option you'd take (damaged copy or Nexus cover) and which thank-you you'd like. First 13 to reply, we lock it in.
Thank you for rolling with us on this. Building things together — the good shipments and the rough ones — is the whole point of this community.
See a lot of you Saturday on the livestream (1:30pm Arizona time, YouTube), and if you ever want to support the studio directly, the Patreon's always there: patreon.com/steverude
